The brunch club
by pwincesst
Summary: The chipmunks/chipettes are in high school. They haven't spoken in three years, but are thrown together on a saturday afternoon detention in senior year.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This fic is VERY LOOSELY based on the 80's movie The Breakfast Club. I don't believe in doing outright parodies, though. Please r/r… oh and I don't own AATC and the breakfast club.

_Detention room, Seaview High School. Six chipmunk seniors are brooding, steadily ignoring each other. They had all been best friends in elementary school and middle school, but in the middle of freshman year, the three male chipmunks had suddenly left town, without warning, only to move back at the beginning of senior year. Their best friends, hurt at their sudden departure and absolute break in contact for the last few years, had snubbed them on their return. Now however, they're forced to spend Saturday afternoon together, in the detention room. A "princess", two science "geeks", a jock/musician/class clown, and two slightly pudgy, quiet, "normies". They sit in silence, occasionally darting shy looks and glares across the room._

"I don't see WHY they had to give me detention, anyway… shopping isn't against the school rules!"

'Cutting calculus to shop is, princess…' a slightly sarcastic voice from the back of the room calls out. Brittany Miller, the auburn haired chipette who had spoken first, turns to glare at the tall, well built chipmunk grinning at her from the back of the room. She frowns as she takes in his red checked shirt, letterman's jacked, signature red cap and mischievous grin, unhappy with the fact that her heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice.

"And what're you in for, Alvin… vandalism? You know the minute your ugly mug sets foot on school property, the value goes down…"

' Meow to you too… your cheerleading squad would probably have to disagree with that, Britt…' Alvin's cool demeanor seems to infuriate Brittany further.

"I can't help it if they have no taste!"

'They elected you captain… you sure you want to insult their taste level?' Alvin grins back at her, watching her cheeks redden. Her sister, a tall, slender, brown haired chipette places a comforting hand on her shoulder and glares at Alvin.

"Lay off her, Alvin…"

'Why don't you lay off him, Jeanette…' a surprisingly hard voice comes from the front of the room. Jeanette Miller turns to look at a tall chipmunk, in a blue sweater and jeans glaring at her from behind a pair of blue framed glasses. Unconsciously, she tugs at the hem of her denim skirt, suddenly inexplicably shy.

"You lay off her, Simon… she wasn't talking to you…" Brittany feels the need to defend her now silent sister.

'And he wasn't talking to you…' Alvin snarks from the back of the room, grinning at the auburn haired chipette's reddened cheeks.

'Stop it… all of you…' A voice suddenly comes from the corner of the room. All eyes turn towards Eleanor Miller, a slightly chubby chipette in a jade green dress, with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Even the boys look concerned as she seems to be fighting tears. Hardly daring to look around the room, her eyes meet the sympathetic brown eyes of a chubby chipmunk in a green button down shirt and jeans.

"Eleanor…" Brittany starts to make a move towards her.

'Y-y-you…' Eleanor looks around the room, panic starting to well up in her chest. Unwittingly, her eyes seem to fall on Theodore once again, her former best friend, now an apparent stranger. Suppressing a sob, she dashes out of the room, leaving five very confused, uncomfortable chipmunks behind.

Her sisters, glaring at the three boys in the room, are about to get up and follow her when the door opens.

"And where is Miss Miller?"

'She had to go to the bathroom… we ARE allowed to do that, aren't we? There ARE bathrooms in jail, you know…' Alvin snarks at their principal, a familiar face promoted from their elementary school.

"That's enough from you, Alvin, unless you want to spend another Saturday in here…"

'I think I'm free…'

"That's another Saturday in here for you…"

'Mr. Talbot SIR I really think you're starting to become a little too fond of me…'

"And another Saturday… I could go on all day, Alvin… now when I come back I expect to see Miss Miller in her seat… or you're all stuck here for a month of Saturdays…"

'Yes SIR… although…'

"What is it, Alvin…"

'She could take awhile finding a bathroom that's unlocked. It is a Saturday…'

"This is a school, not a graveyard, Alvin… I hardly think she'll take that long…"

"She'll be back, Mr. Talbot…"

"She better be, Miss Miller…" The principal turns to glare at a timid looking Jeanette, who had just spoken. Brittany glares at him as he leaves the room.

"Big bully..."

'Talbot's not THAT bad…' Alvin's unexpected remark causes all heads to turn towards him in shock.

"He just gave you two more Saturday detentions… and you're defending him?" Brittany is incredulous. This is NOT the Alvin she'd known… and… loved…

'Maybe I asked for it..' Alvin shrugs. 'He's also been understanding about…things…'

"WHAT things…"

'Things like… are we going to go look for your sister, or what?'

"So we can ALL get another month of Saturday detentions, Alvin? I don't think so…Some of us have lives, you know…"

'Ouch… that hurt, Britt… really… it did… But anyway, he won't come to check on us until lunch time..'

"How do you know THAT?" Brittany's tone is sarcastic.

'Brittany, Brittany…' Alvin looks at her with a smirk. 'Who knows what goes on in detention better than me?'

"Look, why don't we just give her half an hour… I think she just needs to be alone for awhile, anyway… if she doesn't come back, we can split up and look for her." Theodore's voice pipes up from the corner of the room. Unwittingly, the remaining chipmunks begin to smile tentatively. Theodore had always been the peacemaker of their little group, and even now, Brittany and Jeannette find Theodore's voice calming. They also know that he probably knows their sister even better than them, and are mollified, for the moment.

The five remaining chipmunks are silent. Brittany begins to file her nails, while Simon and Jeanette bury their noses in books. Alvin seems to be scribbling something into a notepad, while Theodore looks worriedly out the window. Brittany suddenly breaks the silence.

"This is so dumb! What's everybody else in here for, anyway. I mean, except for Alvin… I'll bet he could find a way to get detention for breathing..."

'Lay off him, Brittany…' Simon glares at her, with Theodore surprisingly joining him. Brittany and Jeannette look shocked, as Alvin tries to calm his brothers down.

'Cool it, Si… She's got a point… the detention room is becoming my second home right now…'

The chipmunks lapse into silence again, until Jeanette pipes up timidly, "I got detention for having an overdue library book."

'Really? They give detention for THAT? What happened to good old fashioned fines?' Simon sounds surprised, finally daring to turn around and look at the bespectacled chipette. His heart starts to thump irrationally as he looks at her chocolate brown eyes.

"You should have seen the look on my face when they told me… there went my perfect record.." Jeanette laughs, suddenly feeling comfortable talking to her former best friend. "What were you in for?"

'I was late for algebra…'

'Can you believe that… the perfect Simon Seville… late for class?' Alvin jokes, earning a glare from his brother, while Theodore and the chipettes laugh along with him.

'It was my first time though… I can't believe they didn't go easy on me…'

"I got detention for turning in the wrong homework assignment.." Theodore pipes up.

'Man… Talbot's running a tighter ship than I thought… maybe I should have a word with him…tell him to ease up abit'

"Oh and he's so likely to listen to you, Alvin…" Brittany turns to glare at him. She can't help smiling, though, when she sees the familiar mischievous grin and glint in his sky blue eyes.

'They all do… whether they admit it or not' Alvin winks at her, causing her heartbeat to accelerate against her will.

"DAMN YOU AND YOUR CHARM! I mean… um…. What landed you in here, anyway?' Brittany attempts to make a cool recovery, trying to hide her mortification at her outburst.

'Let's see… it could have been the fact that I pulled the fire alarm in the middle of our math test… the time I snuck into Talbot's office and played Baby got Back over the P.A system… the time I rigged the timer in the science lab to go at double speed, so everyone's experiments were speeded up…I'm not sure, really… he didn't specify…' Alvin answers her with a grin. She looks up at him gratefully, and he feels his cheeks starting to grow warm as he looks into her ice blue eyes.

'That was you? Thanks a lot Alvin…do you know how many explosions happened that day? The science club can't meet until the labs are cleaned up!' Simon is not amused by his brother's prank.

'Well… at least he must have saved a few frogs…' Jeanette pipes up from behind her book, earning a warm smile from Simon, and laughs from the remaining chipmunks in the room.


	2. Chapter 2

_The five chipmunks are chatting amiably in the detention room. In some ways, it's as if Alvin, Simon and Theodore had never left. There are, however, sudden lapses in conversation, as no one in the room dares to bring up the reason why the best friends hadn't spoken in almost three years. In the midst of one of these sudden silences, Theodore speaks up._

"I think we should really go and look for Ellie… she's probably calmed down by now, and needs a hug…" the chubby chipmunk blushes as he speaks.

'FINALLY… someone's talking some sense around here… what if Talbot sees her… she'll be stuck here in detention for the next month with Alvin…' Brittany sounds somewhat disturbed at the thought, while Alvin Seville just looks amused.

"Two of us should really stay here in case Talbot does decide to break his habit and actually check on us… and I nominate myself and Brittany."

Brittany Miller turns to look at the red capped chipmunk with an expression of assumed horror… cursing the thrill of excitement that shot down her spine. 'No way Alvin Seville, I am NOT going to be stuck here with you… why can't you go with Simon, while Jeanette and I stay here…or why can't Theodore stay?'

"Simon and I just moved back two months ago… we really need someone who knows their way around the school to find Eleanor quickly… and as for Theodore, he's probably the most likely to find her out of any of us…"

'I never thought this day would come… Alvin Seville is actually talking sense…' Simon grins at his brother, earning a mock glare before the red capped chipmunk turns towards Brittany with a lopsided grin. "Well, Brittany… you know I can't be trusted in here alone… I might set the building on fire!"

'I… guess you DO need someone competent to keep you out of trouble' Brittany tries to look reluctant as her heart begins to race. Simon, Jeanette and Theodore, having no time for their older siblings' flirty arguments, decide to leave, and split up outside.

"Ok, Jeanette and I will go left, Theo, you go right… whether we find her or not, we'll meet outside the detention room in fifteen minutes…" in the absence of Alvin, Simon is taking on the authoritarian 'leader of the group' role – a role that Jeanette feels absolutely suits him. She smiles shyly as she catches his eye, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he looks at her.

'Guys…' Theodore pipes up as they are about to head off, 'Don't get caught…'

Exchanging warm, wary smiles, the chipmunks head off in opposite directions.

Meanwhile, in the detention room, their older siblings are… not talking. Brittany has made a big show of filing her nails, while casting timid glances in the direction of Alvin Seville. Alvin, too, seems to have gone back to his scribbling, occasionally looking up, humming to himself, and frowning.

'Working on a new song?'

"Mmm hmmm"

Brittany is surprised. She knows that the chipmunks and chipettes have rarely performed original songs, the main exception being Girls of Rock and Roll ( her personal favourite… and not because she got to dance with Alvin in the video). She'd also never seen Alvin so hard at work before. Curious, she moves over to sit beside him, trying to peek over his shoulder.

"Now, now Brittany… I thought you were above snooping" Alvin snaps his notepad shut, turning towards the blushing chipette with his trademark grin.

'I wasn't snooping… I was just… doing my neck exercises…'

"Really… neck exercises…" Alvin turns towards her with a raised eyebrow, causing her to squirm. 'WHY does he have to have such blue eyes? I'm forgetting all my comebacks here!!!' she thinks (silently this time) to herself. Aloud, she speaks stiffly, 'Yes… neck exercises… what's the matter, can't a girl sit beside her former best friend and stretch her neck a bit?'

She turns to look at him with a challenging smile. Something in her voice, however, causes his eyes to darken slightly and he responds with a wry smile, "Yeah, I guess FORMER is the key word here, Britt…"

Brittany bristles at his sudden change in tone, but the sudden sadness about his air causes her to abandon all pretence, and heave a shuddering sigh.

'Yeah… former…'

Briefly, the two chipmunks look at each other, their eyes each revealing the depths of disappointment both feel at that single word. They quietly for awhile, lost in thought, before Brittany chooses, once again to break the silence.

'So… how was your date with Susie last night…'

"Susie? She's a great girl but… we both really knew there was nothing there… how did you know about it, anyway?" Alvin is surprised that his "date" with his former girlfriend had gone through the grapevine so quickly.

'Then why'd you ask her out?'

"Why not?"

'You think it's FUN just to play with people's emotions… to lead them on, to make them think you're the love of their lives… and then LEAVE without saying goodbye… and not one text, email or letter? Do YOU??? WELL SUSIE DESERVES BETTER THAN THAT!!!" flustered, Brittany seems to be fighting tears as she gets up, moving towards a seat at the front of the classroom, far away from the heartless Alvin Seville.

"Would you like it any better if I told you I was madly in love with her, always have been and always will be?" there's a sudden serious tone to Alvin's voice, which, in her emotional state, Brittany fails to notice.

'D-do you?'

Sighing, Alvin moves towards the front of the classroom, and takes her hand. "Brittany, Susie is just a friend. She needed a date for her mom's corporate dinner and her boyfriend was sick, so she asked me. She knows I don't have feelings for her, and I know it's the same for her…"

'Oh…' Brittany exhales in… relief? 'Well… it doesn't matter to me, Alvin Seville…'

"It shouldn't… apparently you've been dating Reuben since the beginning of sophomore year…"

Involuntarily, Brittany lets out a gasp. 'H-how did you know about that, anyway?'

"I may have moved away… but I didn't stop caring, Britt… I have my sources…"

'Yeah RIGHT you didn't stop caring… that's why you didn't bother to call… or text… or email… I could have been dead in a ditch at the end of freshman year and you'd never have known it…'

"If I knew you were dating Reuben… I think I'd know if you were dead in a ditch, Britt… I…"

'You what?'

"I actually came back for a visit… at the end of the year… I wanted to reassure myself that you were OK, and.... yeah… I found out…"

Brittany looks in shock at the chipmunk in front of her. According to him, he'd been in town to visit, and had never gotten in touch… yet… he'd always cared enough to make sure she was OK… Looking up into his sky blue eyes, she takes a deep breath.

'Alvin… Reuben and I actually broke up…'

Alvin's head snaps up, surprised. He'd been trying to keep himself from sounding bitter, but, for the first time in a while, his emotions get the better of him. Barely able to keep the hope out of his voice, he whispers, "why?"

'I… broke up with him… two months ago. Well a month and 29 days ago to be exact…' Brittany's cheeks are red, and she examines the floor.

"A month and 29 days ago… again… why?"

Taking a deep breath, Brittany decides to be honest; with Alvin and with herself. 'The day after I found out….youwerebackintown…' Blushing deeply, she turns her back to her best friend. She doesn't know WHY she just said what she did, but she knows it's the truth. She's just not quite sure what he thinks, and is suddenly afraid to find out.

As if he could sense her fear, Alvin reaches out and touches her shoulders, turning her gently but firmly to face him. With his finger, he lifts her chin, so that she's looking him directly in the eye.

He'd known exactly what he was going to say, but when he looked into her ice blue eyes, the words seemed to get jumbled up inside his head. For the first time in anyone's memory, Alvin Seville was tongue tied. Cupping her face in her hands, he leans down, showing her what he can't quite express in words, capturing her lips in a gentle but passionate kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks to all who reviewed… you inspire me ;) Anyway I apologize in advance for the short chap, but I thought this would be the perfect point to break… please r/r!

* * *

_While their siblings are… occupied, Simon and Jeanette are walking through the school halls, talking… sort of. They chat amiably about class, their teachers, classmates and projects, but occasionally fall silent. It's pretty evident that both have quite a bit on their minds. The silence is companionable, however, and as they walk, Jeannette's swinging hand sometimes bumps into Simon's. Each time this happens, they stop walking, blush, and stammer a random statement about school or homework. _

"S-s-so… I heard you're well on your way to becoming valedictorian…"

'W-well… my only competition DID move away for awhile…' Jeanette looks at Simon timidly as she talks, her cheeks burning.

"Does that mean you want me to move back?"

'NO… I mean… no… I welcome healthy competition… it's not such a big deal to me, anyway…'

"Really?" Simon's piercing stare is unnerving, as he looks at her with an unreadable expression.

'Y-yes… you know I never was that competitive…'

"Says the girl who won the Miss Wonderful pageant in elementary school…"

'With Alvin's help!' Jeanette is blushing furiously now. Of course Simon would remember THAT…

"Jeannette…" Simon suddenly stops walking and turns to face her, "You won because you were you… never forget that…"

'W-w-why would I forget that?'

Shrugging, Simon quickens his pace slightly, forcing her to hurry a little to catch up to him.

'Simon…'

"Yeah?"

'H-how did you know?' Jeanette's cheeks are burning again, this time with shame.

"I have my sources…" Simon's kind smile seems to put her at ease, as they carry on walking through the hall, stopping to peer into empty classrooms. They walk in silence for awhile, until Jeanette bursts out, "You weren't there…"

Stopping in his tracks, Simon turns to face his companion. The expression of sadness, defiance and hurt on his supposed best friend's face tugs at his heart. Opening the door of an empty classroom, he leads her by the hand to the teacher's desk, where they hop up and sit side by side. When she finally speaks, Jeanette's voice is low, and she looks at her feet while talking.

'I'd lost my best friend… and I didn't know why… Brittany and Eleanor were so upset in their own way… I couldn't go to them and tell them I was hurting too... and you know I was never the most popular girl in school- Miss Wonderful notwithstanding…' Jeanette breaks off with a wry smile, while Simon, who had been looking at her with an unreadable expression, offers a tentative smile in return.

'I guess… school was the only thing I had… the only thing I was good at. The only thing I could control… I had to be the best… because I didn't really have anything else to look forward to… Competition kept my mind off… things…'

"There's nothing wrong with competition, Jeanette… but you didn't have to let it take over your life like you did… you didn't have any friends, you were pushing your sisters away… and even when I moved back, you wanted nothing to do with me…"

'You wanted nothing to do with ME while you were gone… why didn't you call, Simon? Even a random email talking about how you'd met the girl of your dreams over there and planned on living happily ever after would have been better… why did you guys just shut us out so completely?'

Simon looks cornered. Looking into Jeanette's tear filled eyes, he let out a long, shuddering sigh. "I wish I could tell you… you don't know how badly I wanted you there… how badly I needed you at that point… but it just isn't my story to tell…"

His pained expression moves her and Jeanette's lips curve into one of the few genuine smiles to grace her face in the last few years. Taking his hand, she gently laces their fingers, bringing his hand to her lips softly.

'I don't know what happened, Si… and I don't know what you went through, but I hate the thought of you having to go through what you did alone… You have your reasons for not being able to talk to me… and for now, I'll accept that… but I'm your best friend, and if there's anything you need to talk about, I'm here. Best friends always are…'

Simon looks up at her, grateful. Taking in her beautiful, sympathetic eyes, her messy braid and her preppy lavender sweater, he feels a familiar thudding in his chest. "Jeanette…" he finally says, " you were never my best friend…"

Disappointed, Jeanette looks at the ground, only to have Simon cup her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"You were always FAR more…"

Leaning forward, he kisses her briefly on the lips, before pulling back and looking at her with a frightened expression on his reddened face.

"I'M SORRY… I mean… I only… and I always wanted… and you were being so understanding… and… and - " Simon is silenced by Jeanette's lips on his. After a few minutes, they break apart, goofy expressions on their faces.

'That was…'

"Wow…"

Blushing, they simultaneously look down at their hands, before snapping to attention with twin expressions of horror.

"THEODORE!!!"

Scrambling to their feet, the chipmunk and chipette race down the hall, hand in hand.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks again for all the awesome reviews… this is for you!! _______________________________________________________________________

_Meanwhile, Theodore is purposefully making his way down the hall, until he reaches a deserted stairwell in the corner. Running up three floors, he's panting by the time he reaches his destination – the roof. All the doors to the roof are usually locked, except for this one; it's out of the way location ensured that most of the students didn't use it anyway. With the small exception two chubby chipmunks at the beginning of freshman year._

His hand on the doorknob, Theodore says a silent prayer before opening; sighing with relief as he catches sight of a blonde ponytailed chipette standing aside, looking down. As he approaches her, a sense of déjà vu hits him, hard.

_Flashback:_

"_Theodore? What're you doing here… you MISSED Home Ec…"_

'_Oh… hey Ellie…'_

"_Is Nathan bullying you again… because you KNOW…"_

'_No…Nathan STILL won't show his face in school after Alvin got through with him…' despite the fact that there was obviously something on his mind, Theodore had smiled slightly at the memory._

"_Leave it to Alvin… he couldn't stick with the whole 'you mess with my brother, you mess with me threat'."_

'_Tripping him up, causing him to fall on a skeleton stolen from the science lab, videotaping him scream like a girl and playing the tape at assembly with the captions THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU MESS WITH A SEVILLE is more his style, Ellie…'_

"_Theodore… I don't know what's wrong, and I promise I won't ask until you're ready to tell me yourself… but just know… you'll always have me…" Theodore had looked up, his heart lifting slightly at the sight of her earnest, concerned face. Instinctively, he had reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. Their last hug._

Quietly, Theodore approaches the brooding chipette , tapping her on the shoulder lightly. Whirling around, Eleanor catches sight of her former best friend, instinctively throwing herself into his arms, sobbing into his shirt. Silently, they stand, Theodore gently stroking her back as she cries, burying his face in her hair so that she won't look up and notice the few stray tears that are threatening to spill onto his own cheeks.

They stand for quite awhile, silent, somehow drawing strength just from being in each other's arms. After some time, Eleanor has calmed down enough to look up at her best friend with a watery smile, as he gently wipes her tears with his thumb.

"I guess… you still know where to find me after all these years…"

'I guess so…'

They are silent for a moment, both not quite sure what to say.

'This was the first place I looked, Ellie…'

"I guess you still know me better than anyone… even my sisters…" Eleanor's tone is uncharacteristically bitter, causing Theodore to wince and just hold her tighter, instinctively aware that she needs comforting right now… that's she's probably needed it for quite awhile now.

'Your sisters love you, Ellie… even though they probably don't show it, they do… it's like me, Alvin and Simon… we fight, we have barely anything in common, but I know I'd do anything for them… and they feel the same way…'

"Alvin DID risk his life facing that eagle for you…and the snake…"

'I really should stay away from zoos, shouldn't I?' Theodore smiles briefly as the girl in his arms looks up at him.

"I know Brittany and Jeanette do love me… but these few years… they've both been so wrapped up in everything else, you know? It was almost like I didn't exist…"

'Ellie…'

"When you and your brothers suddenly left… we were just devastated… and we went months without a text, a phone call… it was like we'd never mattered to you guys…" Eleanor's voice is soft, and Theodore's voice contorts with pain at her words.

"Brittany probably took it the hardest at first. She alternated between crying in her room, and cursing everyday… vowing to forget that 'no good, heartless ball of fur'… she even started dating someone else after a few months. Although she'd spend practically every minute talking about how her new boyfriend was 'so much better for her than that rat Alvin would have been' and that 'she'd show him she didn't need him'.. We knew how much she still missed him. She broke up with Reuben the minute she knew Alvin was back in town… but then banned Jeanette and me from ever talking to you, saying that we needed to 'teach you guys a lesson… " Eleanor speaks softly, tears starting to stream down her cheeks again, "I didn't want to teach you a lesson…"

Theodore is still silent, knowing his best friend still has quite a bit of pent up emotion to let out.

"And Jeanette… she threw herself into school… became insanely competitive… she actually nearly had a breakdown when she got 99 ½ for a math quiz… I was so worried… and… I'd lost… someone I cared about…" Eleanor blushes slightly as she continues talking, "I couldn't turn to either of my sisters because they were both going crazy in their own ways… and I never really bothered to make other friends… it was always just the two of us, since elementary school.. remember?"

Theodore nods slightly, smiling down at her tenderly.

"And… and… I was all alone… and then you came back… and I was so happy… I didn't care that you'd been gone awhile, and that I'd never heard from you. I know you, Theodore. You had a good reason for that. But my sisters wouldn't believe me. Brittany called me a traitor… and said no sister of hers was going to be friends with one of those lousy chipmunks…"

'Wasn't she being a little hard on you…'

"She couldn't help it… I think she never quite realized how much your brother meant to her until he left… even when she was with Reuben, she used to cry herself to sleep every night… she thinks no one heard her, but I did…and I didn't have the heart to upset her again by not listening to her… and Jeanette was no help. She was just quiet…" Eleanor breaks into fresh sobs, as Theodore rubs her back soothingly.

'Listen Ellie… family is important… and no matter how they act sometimes, they do love you… they were just hurting too… and you had to be the strong one for them… you have no idea how much I respect you for that…'

"The strong one…" Eleanor lets out a hollow laugh, earning a curious look from Theodore.

"Theo… I was so alone… I had to be there for anyone, but I felt like I had no one to help me through what I was feeling… I was just… forgettable…"

'Eleanor…' Theodore whispers fiercely, looking her straight in the eye, 'You'll never be forgettable…'

Leaning forward, Theodore crashes his lips to hers, in a kiss that is fierce, protective and… reassuring all at the same time.


	5. Chapter 5

_As Theodore and Eleanor make their way back to the detention room, hand in hand, Eleanor stresses about her sisters._

"What if they get mad?"

'Why would they, Ellie… they know how much we care about each other, and they'll be happy for us…you know how Brittany's been hinting that I should ask you out since the sixth grade…'

"That was BEFORE you and your brothers became public enemies number 1, 2 and 3…"

'I thought Brittany was the dramatic sister…'

"She is… but it's in the genes…"

'Ellie… you don't regret kissing me?' Theodore looks dismayed at the sudden thought. Stopping short, Eleanor looks into his eyes and squeezes his hand gently.

"Of course not… Theo, you have no idea how much I needed that kiss…"

'I think I have a pretty good idea…' Theodore looks seriously into her big brown eyes, smiling slightly. Despite the tension he knows they're about to experience with her sisters, he's never been happier. His brothers, he knew would be supportive of their relationship, and with Eleanor by his side, he could face almost anything, even Brittany's wrath. They catch up as they walk, giggling and cooing and hardly taking note of their surroundings when…

SMACK!

Four confused chipmunks are lying on the ground. Eleanor gapes at the entwined hands of the couple she has just bumped into; if she's not very much mistaken, she's not the only sister whose 'betrayed' Brittany.

"I see you're over your anti-chipmunk phase…" Eleanor teases Jeanette with an uncharacteristic smirk.

'I- I… oh ok… I am…' Jeanette looks at her sister and Simon with burning cheeks, and a smile that Eleanor hasn't seen in years.

"You realize Britt is going to kill us… you in particular as she thought you were on her side…"

'Ellie… we CAN'T tell her… she'll have another breakdown…' Jeanette's dreamy stupor seems to have lifted, as she looks at her sister with horror. Theodore squeezes Eleanor's hand in reassurance, while Simon is simply surprised; he doesn't see what business it was of Brittany's who her sisters chose to date. When he says as much, the chipettes look at him in horror.

"Simon… do you KNOW what she went through when Alvin left…"

'She was a mess! Right before she started dating Reuben, there was a period of time when she completely lost it… she would just break down into sobs in the middle of the school hall…'

"After she got together with Reuben… she was a little better… on the outside…"

'But she STILL cried herself to sleep at night…'

"You KNEW about that?" Eleanor is surprised; she'd thought Jeanette had been too wrapped up in her quest to become the top student in the world to notice her sisters' obvious anguish…

'Yeah… I may have been… preoccupied… but that never meant I stopped caring, Ellie…about you AND Brittany…' Jeanette looks at her sister apologetically. 'I was just trying to keep afloat myself… and I didn't know what I could do for anyone else… I'm so sorry, Ellie…' Jeanette looks at her shoes, while Simon puts his arm around her, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. Jeanette is surprised when she suddenly feels her sister's arms around her, gripping her in a bear hug.

"You're back…" Eleanor says simply when she pulls away, smiling as brightly as she had a few moments ago after her first kiss with Theodore. Seeing her sister smile, Jeanette feels a lump forming in her throat, as she reaches out and gives her baby sister another hug.

'I don't even care what Britt says… I'm just happy to have my little sister back…' Jeanette and Eleanor are about to give each other a third hug when Simon clears his throat to get their attention.

"I SERIOUSLY doubt Brittany is going to have a problem with you two making up with us…considering her tongue is practically jammed down my brother's throat as we speak…" Simon gestures towards the glass pane on the door of the detention room. Jeanette and Eleanor practically knock him over as they jostle to see for themselves.

'I knew Alvin was charming but I had no idea he was a miracle worker.' Jeanette deadpans, secretly thrilled at the rare opportunity to tease her sister.

"Do you REALLY think we should go in there and interrupt?" Theodore is reluctant. He knows how much his brother had missed Brittany while they were away, and after Eleanor's account, he's aware that Brittany had probably missed him just as much, if not more. Besides, if anyone had interrupted his first kiss with Eleanor earlier, he knew he would have been upset, and Alvin Seville was not known for being able to control his temper.

"It's either that or a month of Saturday detentions for all of us, if Talbot catches us out here…" Simon is, as usual, the rational one. Stealthily, Jeanette opens the door, the creak of the doorknob turning unnoticed by the couple in the room. The four chipmunks tiptoe into the room and close the door, before Simon coughs loudly, causing their older siblings to break apart, blushing furiously.

'Took you guys long enough… man Britt and I would have found her and brought her back ages ago…' Alvin grins at his brothers, noticing Theodore's tearstained shirt, and casting a reassuring smile at Eleanor.

"It looks like you managed to entertain yourself while we were gone, anyway…" Simon's voice is dry.

'You were probably doing the same thing…' Alvin grins mischievously as his brother begins to turn red and stammer.

"What… h-how did you know… I mean… ahem…" Simon is flustered, and inexplicably shy.

'I just don't think cherry pink lip gloss is your color…' Alvin points to his brother's lips cheekily as Theodore starts to laugh, and Simon looks mortified. Brittany, meanwhile, has adjusted her hair and primly made her way towards her sisters, giggling with Eleanor as Jeanette blushes furiously.

"I take it you two are officially together?" Brittany asks her sister who blushes harder in confusion – nothing had actually been said about them being a couple.

"Yes, we are… that is… if Jeanette wants it…" Simon smoothly answers, earning a shy smile from Jeanette that makes his heart thump wildly.

'Not going to seal it with a kiss?' Alvin looks at the new couple in question cheekily, watching their cheeks redden further.

"What about you… are you and Brittany going out now?" Simon is desperate to change the subject. It isn't that he wasn't secretly dying for another kiss from Jeanette; he was just a very private person and knew Jeanette to be the same.

'hmmm… I'm not sure if she'd want to go out with an ugly mug that lowers the school property value, right Britt?' Alvin looks at her with a lopsided grin, his heart rate accelerating as her eyes flash.

"Alvin Seville you BETTER ask me out RIGHT NOW or- " Brittany is unable to complete her threat, as she is interrupted by the booming voice of their principal.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: To all who are reading: Sorry for the looong time it took for me to update… I've been crazy busy with applications… anyway enjoy and r/r!

"Mr. Seville and Miss Miller… I want the two of you to go to the cafeteria to pick up the boxed lunches and cartons of milk we had to order for you ruffians" Mr. Talbot sounds gruff, but his eyes are twinkling slightly.

'Which Mr. Seville and which Miss Miller… there are 3 of each here, in case you hadn't noticed' Alvin retorts with a similar twinkle, causing Brittany to emit a single giggle, blushing as she earns an amused look from the chipmunk in red.

"Just for that… you two can go… no funny business… I expect to see all of you quietly eating your meals when I come back to check in five minutes…"

'It's a ten minute walk to the cafeteria… and in Britt's heels she'll never make it there and back in under an hour…' Alvin argues, shooting an infuriated Brittany a playful grin.

"I'll make it there AND back faster than YOU!"

'I'll have to CARRY you AND the food back!'

"You WISH!"

'You WISH I wish!'

"You WISH I wish you wish!"

"ENOUGH" The sparring chipmunks turn to face their principal… who is slightly red in the face. Alvin considers commenting that it's a good color on him, but for once decides to keep his mouth shut. Brittany pinches him warningly on the arm, seeming to guess what he is thinking.

"The two of you WILL go and get the food, and you WILL be back in twenty minutes… just to make sure, I'll stay here and wait…" Mr. Talbot glares at his two students in a way reminiscent of his werewolf days. With dramatic sighs, Alvin and Brittany head towards the hallway, earning eye rolls and smiles from their siblings.

In the hall, they walk quietly for awhile, in slightly awkward silence, until Brittany finally speaks up in a soft voice.

"You're not going to ask me out, are you…"

'I never said that, Britt…'

As they walk, Brittany starts to cry softly, causing Alvin to stop abruptly and pull her towards him. Snuggling into his chest, she sobs into his shirt, while he strokes her hair gently.

'Britt… you OK?'

"N-no… you're never going to ask me out… and- and-and it's all my fault!"

'Your fault? Britt… '

"I should have listened to Ellie when she said you probably had a good reason for leaving.. and for not calling… I should NEVER have gone out with Reuben… n-now… you don't want to ask me out because – "

'Because…?'

"Because you believe the rumors he started spreading after we broke up... you-you think…"

Brittany is getting carried away… and doesn't notice Alvin's slightly amused look.

"You think I SLEPT with him… well I DIDN'T… I wouldn't… somehow… I knew it wasn't right… and-and-and… when I broke up with him… he said… and EVERYONE believed… although they didn't after a while…and-and-and" she breaks into fresh sobs on his chest. He sighs as he rubs her back reassuringly, and pulls back slightly to look her in the eye.

'Britt… credit me with a little more intelligence than THAT…'

She looks up at him, hiccupping slightly as he continues.

'Yeah… you guys were together for a long time… and I'll admit I'm the last person who has the right to judge you…' Brittany narrows her eyes at this, wondering WHAT Alvin had been up to in the last couple of years.

'Besides, when he started going on about how HE gave you that scar on your hip I knew he was full of it…' Alvin grins cheekily at her, his face lighting up at a memory. Brittany smiles back, whacking him on the arm.

"You do realize you disfigured me for life…"

'You DO realize you started it…'

_Flashback: The summer before Freshman year. The chipmunks and chipettes are having a barbeque by the beach, celebrating the fact that they are about to enter high school. Theodore is working the barbecue, with Eleanor helping him. Simon and Jeanette are talking excitedly about the subjects they plan to ace in school, and the societies they plan to join. Their older siblings are roasting marshmallows over a bonfire, bragging about how they plan to 'rule the school'_

"_You SO know I'll be head cheerleader…"_

'_And I'll be football captain…with ALL the perks' Alvin wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, causing Brittany to giggle slightly, and cover it up by tossing her head._

"_Like dating the head cheerleader"_

'_Oh yeah… I mean… ALL the cheerleaders!' Alvin grins, flushing slightly. Brittany frowns at this, not willing to acknowledge the jealousy starting to bubble inside her._

"_Like any cheerleader would want to date YOU…"_

'_I already got the numbers of three soon to be senior members of the cheerleading squad…' Alvin waves his little black book in front of his best friend, somehow thrilled at her flashing eyes. He's just noticing how pretty she is when she's angry when- _

'_OW! Britt!!!' Brittany had jabbed him in the side with her marshmallow skewer. Her HOT marshmallow skewer. Without thinking, Alvin retaliates, causing what was soon to be affectionately known as the 'skewer duel', ending only when both soon to be highschoolers lie on the sand, laughing, and clutching their sides._

"_You DISFIGURED ME!!!"_

'_And you MAIMED me…'_

"_How am I EVER going to be head cheerleader with a SCAR on my side?"_

'_I think it's sexy…' Alvin smiles slightly as Brittany starts to blush slightly_

'_Besides Britt…at least now, no matter where we go, we'll always be connected…'_

"_Really?"_

'_Yup… we're scar buddies…' Alvin points to his own side, with a goofy grin that causes Brittany's breath to catch in her throat. They look at each other, smiling comfortably when Theodore and Eleanor join them, bearing plates piled high with burgers._

"Anyone who'd seen me in cheerleading practice, the girl's locker room or the beach since high school started would have known the scar was there…"

'Well… he'd had a hard time making people believe him before he tweaked his story to include that little detail. Of course, until I stepped in…' Alvin grins cheekily, causing Brittany to eye him suspiciously.

"Alvin… what did you do? Please don't tell me you stole the bio lab skeleton again…"

'Brittany… you shock me…' Alvin sticks out his lower lip in a mock pout. 'Have you EVER know Alvin Seville to repeat a trick…'

Brittany groans. "Not that he didn't deserve it… but… what'd you do, Alvin?"

'I didn't do ANYTHING… I thought you guys were still together and I didn't want to piss you off further by doing an Alvin on your boyfriend…' Alvin actually looks like he's telling the truth.

"If we were still together, why would he go around lying about me?"

'I thought he was being a typical blowhard jock…'

"I can't believe you didn't do anything to him… he was talking about ME! Remember in fifth grade when you chased Frankie out of the gym on a motorcycle because he was bothering me?" Brittany sounds more disturbed at the thought of Alvin not caring enough to stand up for her than she had been at the thought of Alvin pulling one of his trademark pranks on her ex boyfriend.

'Well…'

"Well?"

'I MIGHT have shown everyone my scar… and told them he must have given me mine too…'

"ALVIN…" Brittany's delighted tone doesn't match the glare she is trying to give.

'You know… that ex of yours turns a marvelous shade of purple… Jeanette should have been the one to date him…' Alvin grins mischievously as they start to walk towards the cafeteria.

Brittany starts to snicker "I'll bet Simon would LOVE that…" She slows down as she suddenly comes to a realization.

"It was you…"

'WHAT was me…'

"You were the one who got all of the others to back off of me… you were the one who convinced all those football jocks that Reuben was lying…" Alvin looks slightly uncomfortable as she looks at him with tears in her eyes. With his thumb, he gently brushes away hear tears, before flashing her his trademark lopsided smile.

'Don't you be going all soft on me, Miller…'

"My hero…" Brittany leans up and pecks him on the lips, giggling at his slightly goofy smile.

"Race you!"

Without warning, Brittany takes off down the hall, leaving behind a very surprised Alvin Seville.

'NO FAIR… YOU HAD A HEAD START… BRITT!!!!'


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Sorry again for the long wait… I've been in the US visiting colleges, and have been crazily busy since I got back… I'll try to make sure I'm more regular from here on out. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewers – you guys make me smile

While Alvin and Brittany are gone, their siblings are sitting quietly in detention, trying to avoid the attention of their principal. Theodore and Eleanor are poring over a cookbook together, holding hands under the table, while Simon and Jeanette are pretending to study a science textbook, scribbling notes to each other in pencil on the pages. Every so often, all four chipmunks snap to attention as Mr. Talbot looks up from his newspaper and coffee, staring appraisingly at his students.

_What do you think he even put us in detention for, anyway? He's never been this strict – J_

_Maybe he wanted an excuse to look at you ;) –S_

Jeanette lets out a sudden giggle at Simon's latest note, causing Mr. Talbot to look sharply up before turning to his newspaper again. Blushing furiously, she scribbles a reply.

_I thought Alvin was supposed to be the charming one – J_

_What can I say… you bring it out of me – S_

_Simon Seville – flirt… never thought I'd use those words in the same sentence – J_

_Hey… it doesn't count as flirting when I'm talking to my own girlfriend – S_

Her heart thumping, Jeanette responds.

_Girlfriend… you were serious? –J_

_Of course… you mean… you weren't? – S_

Simon is suddenly nervous. Jeanette HAD been put on the spot earlier by Alvin… what if she'd never intended to say yes to him, but had because she was pressured? She HAD kissed him… but what if she hadn't enjoyed the kiss? What if the kiss had made her realize she didn't like Simon as more than a friend after all? What if she was just a bad kisser? At times like this, Simon really wanted his older brother around. Alvin could be aggravating, with his pranks, his cockiness and the way trouble seemed to constantly seek him out, but he had always been there for his brothers, and usually gave the best advice. Sighing, Simon peeks at Jeanette's reply.

_I was… I was just afraid you weren't… -J _

_Why wouldn't I be? –S_

_Because of the way I've been these last couple of years… obsessed with getting ahead… because of the way I reacted when you guys came back… -J_

_Jeanie… I know the real you… you're the girl who secretly buries the frogs we dissect in the science lab, the one who cries during phone commercials… that's the girl I fell in love with – S_

Jeanette's eyes grow wide as she reads his note, and Simon begins to blush, cursing himself inwardly.

'Smooth move, Seville… tell her you love her before you've even had your first official date'

_Fell in love? –J_

_Yeah… it's OK if you don't feel the same way… I just… had to let you know how serious I was when I was asking you out… -S_

_I…I do… -J_

_You do?-S_

_I do feel the same way… I just never thought you did… you were away for so long… without even a text, a letter, or an email… Britt and I were sure you guys had forgotten us –J_

_Jeanie… I'll admit my brothers and I had a lot on our minds these last couple of years… and being in a relationship wasn't really a key priority… but I promise, not for one moment did I stop thinking about you, or wishing you were there – S_

Looking up into his warm brown eyes, Jeanette feels a sense of security that hasn't been there in awhile. She smiles slightly and gives him a quick, furtive peck on the cheek, smiling widely as her boyfriend's ears turn red. Twisting in her seat, she looks at her sister and Theodore. There seems to be a peace surrounding Eleanor that had been missing- Jeanette hasn't seen her this happy in years. Sighing softly to herself, Jeanette turns towards the shared science book, about to compose a reply when she is distracted by a loud rapping on the detention room door.

"OOFF!!!" A red clad chipmunk staggers into the room after the door is opened by an annoyed yet amused Mr. Talbot. Alvin is carrying the lunch supplies for all six students, with Brittany riding piggyback on his back.

'MR SEVILLE… WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS' Mr. Talbot sounds stern, but his lips are twitching slightly.

"I told you I was going to have to carry her along with ALL the lunches. You should have sent me with one of my brothers. Or one of her sisters; at least they wear sensible shoes"

'HIGH HEELS ARE IN!' Brittany is indignant.

"High heels are NOT for running across the hall in… erm… I mean…" Alvin breaks off, realizing that running in the hall was against the rules. Normally Talbot might let that one slide but lately.. Alvin wasn't sure

'Right, Mr. Seville… are you asking for another detention?'

"I wouldn't mind… apparently detention's a great way to pick up chicks, right Britt?" Alvin grins at Brittany, who glares at him, smiling slightly to herself at the same time.

'Impressive punning Mr. Seville… I do expect you to be acing your AP English this year… now hand out the lunches and start eating… I'll be back to check on you inmates in an hour…' Mr. Talbot turns to give the group a warning glare before heading out of the detention room, coffee and newspaper in hand.

As he leaves, Alvin looks at his brothers appraisingly. Simon and Jeanette have inched their chairs side by side, exchanging warm smiles as they scribble in their book. Theodore and Eleanor are holding hands sneaking glances at each other as they read. Simon and Theodore look happier than Alvin has seen them in a long time. Suppressing his smile, Alvin proceeds to bang on the teacher's table, yelling "Come and get it!"

'ALVINNNN… do you WANT Talbot back in here?' Brittany sounds furious.

"Please… he's probably napping in the faculty lounge as we speak…"

'Alvin… it would be nice to have some alone time today… not to mention NOT spend the whole of senior year in detention…' Simon speaks up, glancing sideways at Jeanette.

"Relax bro… Talbot ALWAYS takes a two hour nap at this time…"

'How do YOU know..' Brittany sounds skeptical.

"Let's just say… I'm a frequent flier…" Alvin winks, causing the chipette in front of him to blush slightly. How DARE he be charming when he hadn't even asked her out yet…

'I think we should have a party…' Jeanette breaks the silence, earning shocked stares from everyone else in the room.

'You…think we should have a party.. in the detention room…'Brittany seems to have difficulty choking out the words. It had been nearly impossible to persuade Jeanette to attend ANY party with her for the last couple of years – she would always prissily insist that she had to study.

'W-ell… this is a reunion of sorts… and… under the circumstances… we should all probably catch up as friends… ' Jeanette blushes as she tries to explain herself. Now that she and Simon were officially (finally) a couple, she wanted to be close to his siblings again, too… and she wanted him to be close to her sisters.

"Well, well, well Jeanette.. I have to say I'm impressed… should I bring out my ipod and speakers?"

'SPEAKERS… HERE?' Brittany looks terrified. She's not used to being the sensible one.

'I was thinking more of… truth or dare…' Jeanette mumbles, earning a scoff from her older sister.

'Truth or dare? How old do you think we are, Jeanette?'

"Actually… I think it's a good idea…" Alvin surprisingly speaks up for the brunette chipette, earning a slightly jealous glare from Brittany and twin looks of surprised gratitude from Simon and Jeanette.

'You… do…' Brittany's voice is slightly wobbly, as she tries to sound nonchalant. Alvin is only supposed to defend HER. NOT her sisters.

"I think… we all have a few questions we want answered…" With an uncharacteristically serious look, Alvin begins to hand out lunches while the chipmunks and chipettes move to sit cross legged in a circle on the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

'Oooh… Theodore… truth or dare?'

Theodore looks terrified as Brittany grins evilly at him. In the last half hour, he had learned that Jeanette had had a minor crush on him when they were kids (Simon hadn't been too pleased about that), that Eleanor's secret fantasy was to have strawberries dipped in milk chocolate fed to her by someone in a chef's uniform (he would have to remember that one), that Simon had found it sexy when Jeanette told him in front of the entire science class that she didn't want to be his lab partner; she had a perfect GPA to maintain and that Brittany had almost gotten kicked off the squad for cheering the wrong name at a football game last year (he didn't ask whose name she cheered instead of Reuben's… her blush made it pretty obvious, anyway). He also knows that among his brothers, he's the worst liar.

"D-D-dare…" Theodore gulps, hoping he won't regret his answers. Alvin and Brittany were known for giving the most… challenging dares all through elementary school. Simon could come up with some real doozies too when he wanted to. The three of them together just spelled trouble.

_Flashback:_

"_OK Theodore… we dare you to… run through the street in nothing but your apron, carrying the bowl of popcorn, stop in the middle of the street, toss the popcorn in the air, and sing 'It's raining men…"_

"_OK Theodore.. we dare you balance the bowl of pudding mix on your head, hop up and down and sing Star Spangled Banner… on the Miller's doorstep"_

'_OK Theodore… we dare you to… call Juliet and tell her everything you didn't like about her, and how glad you are that you're not together anymore…'_

At the thought of Brittany's last dare, Theodore can't help but chuckle slightly. At least he'd gotten some catharsis out of that one. The sight of her slightly evil smile causes him to swallow hard and grab Eleanor's hand for reassurance.

'I dare you to… serenade Eleanor with the song that most reminds you of her..'

Theodore sighs with relief… serenade Eleanor.. that sounded easy enough…

'Butt naked..' Brittany continues with a grin that makes even Alvin wince.

"Brittany… I don't think all of us want to see…everything…" Jeanette looks uncomfortable. Simon hadn't been too happy to hear about her girlhood mini crush on Theodore – it had only been because Theodore was so sweet to the girls, and hadn't lasted more than a week… the thought of seeing him completely naked did make her uncomfortable, though. She turns and looks at her younger sister, who seems mortified and is trying to protest on Theodore's behalf.

'Come on Brittany… he shouldn't have to do THAT… please…' Eleanor uses her most wheedling tone, blinking sweetly at her sister. It hasn't worked in awhile, but she knew that the 'old' Brittany had always been a sucker for her baby sister. Sure enough, Brittany soon found herself relenting slightly.

'Fine… he can keep his underwear on… but that's ALL…' Brittany's warning tone brooks no argument. Sighing, Theodore moves to the center of the circle, cursing whoever invented this stupid game in his head. Dropping to one knee, he kneels before a blushing Eleanor, whose eyes had widened slightly when she saw his green silk boxers with little cupcakes on them.

'Maybe it's intuition… But somethings you just don't question…' Theodore almost forgets his attire or lack thereof as he looks into her eyes..

'Like in your eyes… I see my future in an instant… and there it goes… I think I've found my best friend…'

Eleanors eyes start to mist as she recognizes the song. Simon and Jeanette smile encouragingly, while Alvin and Brittany just look amused.

'I know that it might sound more than a little crazy but I believe… I knew I loved you before I met you… I think I dreamed you into life… I knew I loved you before I met you… I have been waiting all my-'

Theodore finds himself interrupted by the pleasant feeling of a pair of soft lips on his. They break apart after a brief kiss, blushing at the claps and wolf whistles from their siblings. Theodore hurriedly puts on his clothes and sits down, squeezing Eleanor's hand lightly as he spins a ruler they are using as a makeshift bottle.

"OK, Brittany… truth or dare?"

'Truth..' Brittany looks prim. Alvin had already made her call up the entire cheerleading squad on her cell phone, telling each member that Alvin Seville was a sexy king. The responses of some of her friends had rankled her, although she would probably have died before she admitted it. Besides, Theodore's "truths" had all involved food. Brittany was perfectly willing to admit what her favorite kind of sundae was (although Alvin already knew that).

"Wait-" Brittany frowns as Alvin motions for Theodore to come towards him. As she sees him whispering in his brothers ear, Brittany begins to grow nervous. Alvin was having an uncanny knack today of ferreting out everyone's secrets.. and Brittany knew the twinkle in his eye to mean trouble.

'OK…um…Alvin wants to know… um I mean… Why did you break up with Reuben after you found out we were back in town?' Theodore can't help grinning slightly as Brittany's mouth drops open in shock. He may be the cuddly one, but revenge is still sweeeet.

'DAMN YOU ALVIN SEVILLE…' Brittany glares at the red capped chipmunk beside her, whose smile radiates innocence.

"It's a legitimate question, Britt…or you could do a dare…" Alvin's cheeky grin seems to infuriate her and make her smile at the same time.

'Fine… it was because I realized I was in love with someone else…'

"Who?"

'You're only allowed one question… wait your turn…' Brittany grins as she grips the ruler. It's not often that she manages to silence Alvin Seville, but when she does, she savors it. Spinning the ruler, her heart begins to thump wildly as it lands on Alvin.

"Come on… you did that on purpose…"

'Did not!'

"Did too!"

'Just ask him a question already…' Simon is growing irate. He loved his brother, but the endless arguments between him and Brittany were getting old. Fast.

"Fine… truth…" Alvin seems oddly serious when he answers, as if he's prepared for what she's going to ask,

'How many girls did you date when you guys were away, and what were their names?'

Alvin looks taken aback. That wasn't the question he was expecting.

"Just one…"

'And her name?'

"That's two questions…"

'Actually, she included it in the first question so it's technically one question with two parts..' For the first time in years, Jeanette speaks up for her sister. She's curious to know why Simon and Theodore look somewhat uncomfortable and Alvin is gulping and bracing himself.

"OK… but just remember… this was just after I came back from my surprised visit… and it didn't last very long because I, well none of us really were in the right place for a proper relationship… and…"

'Just spit it out…' Brittany finds Alvin's uncharacteristic nervousness cute, but his stalling is filling her with dread. She has a sinking feeling she won't like his answer.

"_cough _Charlene _cough_" Alvin speaks into his fist, hoping Brittany won't recognize the name.

'Charlene?'

"Er… yeah…"

'Crocodile rock Charlene?'

"Yeah…"

'The girl whose hotness you were going on and on about for six months after that stupid video aired…'

"Yes…"

'ALVIN SEVILLE YOU ARE DEAD… HOW DARE YOU??? AND BEHIND MY BACK!!! YOU TWO TIMING NO GOOD'

"Er… Britt?"

'WHAT?'

"We weren't dating… you were with Reuben… remember him?"

'BUT-BUT-BUT…' Brittany still looks ready to hit him. In the interest of safety, Alvin decides to abandon his 'too cool to care' demeanor and give her a hug. As he holds her, she seems to relax against his body, burying her head against his chest. Stroking her hair, he whispers to her.

"Even she could tell my mind was always somewhere else…"

Looking up into his sky blue eyes, Brittany is finally mollified, and smiles slightly at his expression.

'It's your turn…'

Spinning the ruler, his eyes widen slightly as it lands on Eleanor, who is absolutely terrified. Alvin is undoubtedly one of the two most 'dangerous' people in the room.

"Truth or dare, Ellie…" Alvin gives her what he hopes is a reassuring smile. He'd caught the pleading look in Theodore's eyes a minute before, and planned to go easy on her.

'T-t-ruth…' Eleanor is quaking. Theodore, on the other hand, is worried. Remembering how Eleanor had sobbed on the roof, he didn't want Alvin to upset her further. Casting another pleading look at his brother, he tensed, hoping fervently the mischievous chipmunk would have mercy.

"How'd you end up in detention?"

Simon and Jeanette break out in relieved smiles as Brittany glares at Alvin for wasting a question. Theodore, however, notices Eleanor tensing against him, her palm starting to sweat, and is starting to get worried again.

'I… I had a flare gun in my locker... and it went off… the janitor found it…' Eleanor's voice is low, her head hung as she speaks. Her sisters stare in shock, immobile, as Theodore holds her even more tightly than before.

'A… gun… Ellie, WHY??' Jeanette sounds tearful as she looks at her younger sister.

'I… was all alone for the last few years… no friends… no…family' Eleanor's voice cracks as she speaks, 'no one who could really be there for me, anyway. And… and I always had to pretend to be OK… and… I couldn't let go of how I was feeling… and then Theodore came back… and I didn't even dare to go to him because I was afraid you guys would break down again… and… I guess I broke down too… I'm… I'm sorry…' Eleanor speaks in between sobs as her sisters, also crying get up and rush to hug her, whispering their apologies into her ear. The boys are silent, until Simon speaks up.

'You should be sorry…'

'SIMON…' Jeanette is livid. It's not like Simon to be so insensitive. Alvin and Theodore, however, look alarmed.

'What… if she'd gone through with it… she'd have been gone… and you and Brittany would have been left behind rehashing every little conversation, every argument you'd ever had…'

"Simon…" Alvin's warning tone is ignored by his angry brother.

'Eleanor…do you KNOW what you would have put your sisters through? I know exactly what it's like to almost lose a sibling and- '

"SIMON" Alvin and Theodore yell simultaneously, yanking their brother out of the room, leaving three very confused, very upset chipettes behind them.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Honestly, I was planning on taking a break from writing this weekend – but your reviews inspired me! Thanks especially to all who take the time to write them – this one's for you!!!

In the detention room, Jeanette and Brittany look at the swinging door in confusion before turning to Eleanor, who is beginning to cry softly into her hands. For one of the first times in awhile, both chipettes turn towards their baby sister and envelop her in a three way hug.

"Ellie… don't you EVER feel like you can't come to us with anything… we all may have our own problems, but you're our baby sister… if we didn't have you…we… we…" Brittany's voice cracks slightly as she speaks.

'Ellie… we're- I'm so sorry…' Jeanette is almost in tears herself as she speaks. Inwardly, she curses herself for the last few years – she'd been so caught up in her blind anger against Simon, and her quest to be the best, she'd ignored Eleanor. Her little sister. The one who had been pasting a smile on her face for the last three years just to be strong for her sisters. Jeanette winces as she remembers the times she's brushed Eleanor off to rush to the library, study in her room, head off for student government meetings and tightens her hold on her sister. Simon was right – if Eleanor had succeeded in what she was apparently going to do, Jeanette would have spent her entire life unable to forgive herself.

Brittany, on Eleanor's other side, is entertaining similar thoughts. Every time she'd ignored her sisters in school, to fit in with Reuben and his dumb jock friends, every time she'd cried herself to sleep at night and found her favorite chocolate chip pancakes ready for her in the morning, every time she'd gone for parties and refused to bring her little sister, because she 'didn't belong' flashed before her eyes. Gulping, she hugs her sister tight. She and Jeanette had always had a soft spot for Eleanor – somehow she'd forgotten that during her own personal disappointment, Eleanor and Jeanette could have been hurting too.

Eleanor continues to cry, tears of shame running down her cheeks. Sandwiched between her two sisters for the first time in years, she realizes that the strong bond between them that had taken them from Australia to America had never really disappeared. If she had shot herself, it would have been the biggest mistake of her life.

As the sisters' sobs die down and they pull apart, they look at each other with a renewed protectiveness. They sit in silence for awhile, unsure of what to say, until Eleanor pipes up.

'Man… this is what it takes to get the attention of the head cheerleader and class president…'

The chipettes break out in uneasy laughter, before starting to do what they hadn't done in years: talk.

'Brittany… if you broke up with Reuben because you realized you were still in love with Alvin – why didn't you actually TALK to him when he came back?'

"It's not like he- wait I never said it was him!" Brittany blushes at Eleanor's question.

'You might as well have… the way you glared at him when Theodore asked the question…'

'And the look on your face when you found out he dated Charlene… you looked like you were going to attack him..' Jeanette and Eleanor giggle at Brittany's red face. It feels like ages since they've teamed up to tease their fiery sister. Even Brittany is forced to smile: they finally feel like sisters again, instead of three strangers who happen to live in the same house.

"It's not like he feels the same way, anyway…" Brittany mutters, looking at her hands. She can't help but feel slightly jealous of her sisters sometimes. Simon and Theodore probably hadn't dated anyone else since they moved, and had told her sisters they loved them at practically the first given opportunity. Alvin had flirted quite a bit with her, and dropped a few hints here and there… and his kisses were the best she'd ever had… but he never actually said anything about wanting something real with her. And now he probably never would, since he knew that she actually loved him. Alvin thrived on challenges, and Brittany had just all but admitted that she was already won. Groaning slightly, she kicks at the floor, before looking up sharply as a random thought enters her head.

"What did Simon mean, he knows what it feels to almost lose a sibling?"

Jeanette and Eleanor look at each other in alarm. Somehow, the chipettes had forgotten the reason they were alone in the room in the first place.

'Oh my god… don't tell me Theodore…' Jeanette's voice trembles as Eleanor's eyes widen in fear. Theodore may not have been one to attempt suicide… but then again neither was she. She really didn't know what to think at this stage.

"We'll find out when they come back in… and I'll kick Theodore's butt for thinking he could actually leave you like that…" Brittany puts an arm around her sister's shoulders protectively as they wait for the boys.

Meanwhile, Alvin and Theodore are in an empty classroom.. telling Simon off.

"Do you have any idea what you just did??"

'I couldn't help it… Eleanor made me so angry.' Simon looks up at his older brother defiantly.

'She was already feeling bad enough…' Theodore is uncharacteristically upset.

'After what happened… what she did just brought it all back…' Simon's voice is low as he tries to hold back tears.

Sighing, Alvin looks at his distraught brother. Theodore is hanging his head, also quiet..

'I know the last few years have been hard… but it's all over now… that's why we came back, right?' Theodore looks up at his brothers, who have been sitting at separate desks, brooding.

"Yeah, it looks like we're pretty much stuck with each other for life now…" Alvin cracks, earning a half smile from Simon and a small grin from Theodore. The chipmunks look at each other again as Simon speaks up.

'I guess… we owe them an explanation, huh?'

'Maybe they… forgot?' Theodore sounds hopeful, causing Alvin to smile at his naivete. He doesn't know what he would do without his brothers, even if Simon did annoy him at times.

"Theo… if there's one thing I know about Brittany… she NEVER forgets…"

Sighing slightly, Simon stands and moves towards the door, motioning for his brothers to follow him.

'Well… I guess there's no time like the present.'

AN: I apologize for the shortness of the chap... the next one will be longer, I promise! Meanwhile, please r/r… they make me write faster!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I'll be wrapping this up in a couple of chaps… I do take requests though, so feel free to PM me if there's anything you guys want me to write on… helps hone my skills :P Meanwhile hope you enjoy this… r/r!!

The chipettes are sitting, deep in conversation, when the door to the detention room swings open. Looking up, they see the three male chipmunks standing before them, grim faced and silent. Jeanette and Eleanor are silent, waiting for their boyfriends to say something, but Brittany can't hold it in.

'Theodore how COULD you??? Do you KNOW what Ellie would have done if she'd found out you killed yourself?'

'Huh… what??' Theodore looks genuinely confused, while Alvin is suppressing a small grin. Brittany's fiery temper was amusing when it wasn't directed at him.

'Stop playing dumb Theodore… Simon said he almost lost a sibling… HOW COULD YOU???' Brittany walks up to a cowering Theodore, with a look of anger on her face usually reserved for Alvin. The old Brittany was back. The one who would maim ANYONE who had the nerve to even THINK about hurting one of her sisters. Theodore was more than a little afraid of this Brittany and can't seem to speak. He looks pleadingly at his brothers, and Alvin feels the need to intervene.

"Britt… he's telling the truth… he didn't try to kill himself…"

'B-b-but… Simon SAID…' Brittany turns towards Alvin, confused.

Sighing, Alvin moves towards Brittany and puts his hand on her shoulder, bracing himself as he speaks.

"Britt… Theo isn't Simon's only brother…"

PLOP!!

Brittany opens her eyes find herself lying on the teachers table, five concerned pairs of eyes peering at her. She homes in on a pair of sky blue eyes, so intense they seem to be burning a hole into her subconscious. She wonders what happened, and as she remembers her earlier conversation with the red clad chipmunk, she snaps to attention, her eyes filled with tears.

'ALVIN SEVILLE… HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT…'

"Why Brittany Miller… I didn't know you cared…" Alvin tries lamely to lighten the mood, only to earn a glare from Simon. This is NOT the time for Alvin to be Alvin. Ignoring him, Brittany pounces on him in a fierce hug, sobbing into his chest. Taken aback, Alvin holds her close, stroking her hair before pulling back and looking into her eyes.

"Britt… I didn't try to kill myself."

Confused, Brittany looks up into his eyes and sniffles, before turning around to glare at Simon. If this was his idea of a sick joke… he would pay… sister's boyfriend or not.

Gulping, Simon turns to look at Jeanette, who is holding his hand protectively.

'Alvin… you'd better tell her the truth… preferably before she kills me…'

Sighing, Alvin motions for the chipettes to sit down, as he moves to stand beside his brothers. When he has their attention, he starts to speak.

"Ok guys… think back to Freshman year… do you remember how, the last month before we moved, I was tired all the time and out of school a lot?"

'Are you kidding me… school had never been that peaceful… you weren't even pulling any pranks…' Jeanette speaks up, earning nods from Brittany and Eleanor.

"Yeah well… Dave thought that was unusual too… he thought I must be sick… so he sent me for a full check up… physical, blood test, the works…"

Brittany gulps, suddenly afraid of what Alvin is going to say.

"The results of my bloodwork came in… and it turned out that I had leukemia"

'L-leukemia… but isn't that…' Brittany turns pale, and Alvin reaches a protective hand towards her, in case she faints again.

"Cancer…who knew chipmunks could get it, huh?" Alvin's tone is wry, but Simon and Theodore's faces are contorted with pain as he speaks. Jeanette and Eleanor pat their hands reassuringly, unsure of what to say at this point.

"When we got the diagnosis… we moved to L.A. Because no one had ever heard of a chipmunk getting this disease, Dave wanted me to get treated at the UCLA medical center…we left in a hurry, and we thought we'd be there for a couple of weeks at most; get a transplant, move back… continue as if it had never happened…"

'Alvin didn't want to tell you girls what was going on because he didn't want anyone to worry… it was bad enough that we were so upset… and he honestly thought he'd be able to get a quick transplant, and everything would be fine…' Theodore speaks softly, looking Eleanor in the eye. He wants her to know that he'd never planned on hurting her or hiding anything from her.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple… neither Theodore nor Simon was a match, and I couldn't go on the transplant list as the doctors weren't sure if chipmunks could accept human bone marrow…"

'He had a life threatening disease, and there was nothing we could do to help him. I spent hours arguing with the doctors but in the end I was… helpless…' Simon's voice breaks as he speaks, causing Jeanette to hold him close as he cries softly into her shoulder.

"Yeah, Simon here was a real basket case… who knew he would actually miss me… you'd think he'd have been glad to be rid of the old troublemaker…" Alvin jokes, earning glares from Simon and Jeanette. Brittany is pale and silent throughout the conversation, willing herself not to cry.

'We- we didn't tell you because Alvin didn't want us to… and we were afraid to call you girls because we were all so emotional… we knew we would end up spilling it out… we… kind of thought it was Alvin's last wish…' Theodore's voice wobbles slightly, as Simon's eyes fill with tears once again.

'WHY didn't you want us to know… Don't we have the right… Don't we… mean ANYTHING to you???' Brittany finally speaks, angry tears streaming down her cheeks. Alvin moves forward to comfort her, stroking her back until she calms down before speaking.

"Of course you do… Britt… part of loving someone isn't being selfish… it would have been easier for you to forget me if you thought I was a jerk who couldn't be bothered to keep in touch with his best friend… than if you thought I was dying…" At the word _dying_, Simon and Theodore wince, and Brittany breaks into fresh sobs.

'But… you're all back… that means you're OK now, right?' Jeanette's voice is pleading. Alvin's been a good friend over the years. Images of Alvin "helping" her win a beauty contest in elementary school, of the times on the road when conspicuously dragged Brittany, Eleanor and Theodore out of the room so that she and Simon could talk, the times he'd stood up for Simon, Theodore, herself and Eleanor in front of his jock friends in middle school, as well as the adventures he'd constantly dragged them on. Alvin was no Simon, but Jeanette did care for him, and didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

"I was getting to that actually… as I was saying… Simon here was a real basket case and I… I'd more or less written my own orbituary… I'd even written some original songs to be sung at the funeral…" Alvin pauses and gives the group a brief grin which isn't returned.

"But.. Theodore here turned out to be strong one among us…" Alvin smiles gratefully at his little brother who blushes as all eyes turn towards him.

'Theodore?' Brittany is able to squeak out. She'd never imagined Theodore to be the one to be able to use his head in a crisis, but then again Eleanor had surprisingly been a pillar of strength for herself and Jeanette for the last couple of years, too.

'He secretly contacted Vinny in the forest and told her what was happening… and she rushed down…' Simon explains, also turning to smile fondly at his little brother.

"She even braved the big city to come and see me… stayed with us all the way…" Alvin smiles briefly at the memory before continuing, "Long story short.. her bone marrow was a match… the operation was scheduled for the end of freshman year…"

'But SOMEONE ran away from L.A the day before surgery and didn't come back for a week… we had to postpone the transplant for another couple of months…' Simon sounds slightly angry as he faces his brother, who has suddenly turned slightly red and is looking at the floor before looking up to catch Brittany's eye.

Realization dawns on Brittany and she gulps before speaking softly… 'when you said you came back at the end of the year… that was just before your surgery…'

Not quite meeting her eye, Alvin speaks in a low voice, "I didn't know if I was going to wake up after the surgery… I just thought I'd see you one last time… find out how you were doing… see if you were OK… maybe say goodbye…"

Her eyes filled with tears, Brittany cuddles against Alvin's chest, sobbing hard. She remembers all the time she wasted being angry with him for leaving, the "revenge date" she went on with Reuben, all the subsequent dates with Reuben that she had subconsciously compared with her platonic outings with Alvin (which had been much more fun), the time Alvin had dressed as a mummy to help her win a bet, the time he had brought her to a dance, even though he'd wanted to flirt with all the girls there, the time he'd chased a bully out of the gym in a motorcycles for bothering her (who knew a fifth grader could even ride a motorbike, anyway?). All the time, he'd been sick… and still thinking of her.

'And you found out I was with Reuben…' Brittany's voice is soft when she finally speaks.

"Yeah… I didn't blame you… well not much anyway… I'd left without promising you anything, and I guess you had a right to date who you wanted…"

'But… I thought you didn't like me… and I… I was trying to get over you…'

"Over me… when were you under me?" Alvin grins cheekily down at her, gaining a slap on the wrist.

"Anyway I figured I was going to die, so you might as well move on with your life properly… if I'd come up to you and talked to you then, you probably would have dumped Reuben in a heartbeat…" Alvin flashes a cocky smile, causing Brittany to protest mildly.

'I wouldn't have… OK maybe I would have…but why didn't you guys come back after the surgery…'

"I had to go through a couple of rounds of chemo… plus they wanted to observe me for a couple of months to make sure the cancer didn't come back… since I'm apparently the first chipmunk to have this disease… they wanted to write about me in this medical journal…" Alvin rolls his eyes.

"Anyway… I met Charlene again at my first chemo session… apparently she's been volunteering as a candy striper in the UCLA cancer center while piecing together some part time acting gigs.

'How nice of her…' Brittany has started to grip hard on Alvin's arm, a smile pasted on her face and her voice dripping with undisguised sarcasm.

"We went out for a few months… but my heart wasn't quite in it… I was always preoccupied about whether or not I was going to get well… and… other things…"

'What other things?' Brittany enquires innocently. She hopes she knows what he's going to say, but she wants him to say it.

"I still had feelings for you, OK?" Alvin rolls his eyes, as she smiles in satisfaction. Women!

'So why did it take you three years to come back?' Eleanor is curious now. She feels sorry for the boys, but is extremely proud of Theodore. In a way, he'd saved his brother's life. Lifting his hand to her lips, she plants a kiss on the back of his palm, before meeting his eyes and smiling sweetly.

"We… I wanted to make sure I was completely cancer free before I came back.. and…"

'He didn't want to come back before his hair grew back…' Simon snorts.

"Hey… I HAVE an image to maintain…anyway, I got a clean bill of health, and we decided we'd been away from home too long… we missed.. our friends…" Alvin looks at the group, smiling slightly.

'And we all lived happily ever after…' Theodore pipes up, his eyes shining. He's proud of his brother, for fighting his illness, for not giving up, and for trying to keep his spirits up even when he may not have believed he was going to be OK. He remembers the long hours in the hospital room, when Alvin had entertained his brothers and other sick kids from his bed with his guitar… how he'd pinched nurses butts and shamelessly flirted with candystripers during each hospital admission, how he and Simon had camped out at the hospital overnight several times talking about old times and what they were going to do once Alvin was out of this 'dump'. The past three years had been tough, but they had strengthened the bond between the brothers. Alvin and Simon, in particular, had learned not to take each other for granted, and were fighting MUCH less than usual. The chipmunks were closer than they'd ever been, and Simon was now fiercely protective of Alvin.

"Well… I do have to hike back up there once a year for checkups, but as of last week, I'm still officially cancer free…"

'Is it… is it going to come back?' Brittany swallows hard, scared.

"The doctors say the chances are extremely low… and will get lower with each year…"

'So… it might come back?'

"It probably won't, Britt…"

'But it MIGHT…'

"But it WON'T…"

'What if it does… and and and.. you… and…" bursting into tears, Brittany suddenly dashes out of the room. Alvin is rooted to the spot for the moment, in complete shock, after getting up and heading towards the door.

"I'd better go after her, guys… don't wait up…" with a worried half-smile, Alvin heads out the door to chase after Brittany for what seems like the millionth time that day.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Almost done… I'm actually sad that this is coming to an end… I had a lot of fun writing it, and hope you guys had fun reading, too. Anyway thanks for all your awesome reviews… and r/r ;)

As Alvin steps out into the hall, there is no sign of the auburn haired chipette who has just burst out of the room. He's not worried, though. Like his brother, he knows exactly where to find his best friend.

_Flashback: _

_The beginning of freshman year. Brittany is sitting on the bleachers by the athletic field, looking dreamily at the sky. She is so lost in thought, she doesn't notice the red capped chipmunk sitting next to her, until he brings his face close to hers and whipers in her ear, "Brittany…"_

'_ALVIN SEVILLE… YOU ARE DEAD!' Brittany jumps in shock as she turns towards her grinning classmate. _

"_You say that everyday… yet, here I am… still alive…"_

'_You'd better be careful… God likes me!'_

"_He's not the only one…"_

'_What??'_

"_Er… nothing… what were you thinking about, anyway…"_

'_It's just so… perfect. We're here… you're the first ever freshman varsity football, basketball and soccer player… I'm already on the cheerleading squad… we're in all the same classes… there's the school play to look forward to… I just think… this year… is going to be perfect… don't you?'_

"_No year's ever perfect, Britt…"_

'_I don't care… this year will be… because…'_

"_Because?"_

'_Because… I… have a friend like you…' Brittany looks down, blushing, cursing herself for her sudden shyness. Alvin, too, feels a knot of disappointment as Brittany describes their 'friendship'._

"_Well in that case every year is going to be perfect…"_

'_Why is that?'_

"_Because… you'll always have me…"_

Smiling slightly to himself at the memory, Alvin quickens his pace. Sure enough, Brittany is seated at her favorite "thinking" spot, dead center of the bleachers, overlooking the football field. Again, she's looking up at the sky, but this time, her blue eyes are filled with tears. She doesn't notice him as he quietly sits down beside her. A mischievous grin spreads across his face as he leans in and whispers, "Brittany…"

'ALVIN SEVILLE… YOU ARE DEAD!'

"Careful what you say there, Britt…"

Snapping to attention, she turns towards the chipmunk beside her, eyes filled with tears.

'Alvin…'

Turning towards him, Brittany buries her face in his chest, flinging her arms around him and holding on as if she's afraid to let go. They sit for quite some time, holding each other, silent, until Brittany's sobs subside. Alvin lifts her chin gently, looking into her slightly swollen blue eyes.

"Britt… I'm here… I'm fine… nothing's going to happen to me…."

'Nothing had BETTER happen to you… Alvin Seville if you DIE on me, I'll go right behind you…'

"You… you would?"

'Yeah… I'd have to kick your butt for leaving me…' Brittany smiles through her tears.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to live then…. Seeing as you plan on stalking me all the way to the afterlife…" They smile at each other for a moment, before Alvin speaks up in a low voice.

"I didn't think you cared THAT much…"

'Why… would you EVER think that?'

"I can understand you wanting to date Reuben… but I realized with Charlene almost right away that she could never replace you… you remained with him for two years… why, Britt?" Alvin looks up at her with genuine anguish, and more than a little bitterness.

Looking down at her hands, Brittany is silent for awhile before speaking.

'He… kept my mind off things…'

"What?"

'I… missed you so much… I think I took things the worst out of all my sisters… I would even break down in the middle of the hallway, crying… whenever I passed by your old locker… or when I saw a soccer ball… or basketball court… or the music room… or went to any of the classes we had together…'

"But… we had all our classes together…"

'Exactly…' Brittany looks up with a brittle smile. 'When Reuben asked me out… it was at a point where I just had to do something… I had to keep my mind off things somehow… by dating him, I could pretend for part of the day… but I never stopped…'

"Never stopped…?"

'Never stopped loving you…' Brittany finishes quietly. After finding out how close she came to losing Alvin for life, Brittany doesn't want to play games anymore. She wants to be honest, and if Alvin didn't like it… well… he'd better like it. She'd make him!

"That's good to hear…" Alvin smiles slightly down at her.

'Why is that?' Brittany tries to bat her eyes, but they hurt too much from all the crying she's done. Sighing, she looks at the floor.

"Because I never stopped loving you either…" Leaning forward, Alvin's lips meet hers in an urgent, tender kiss.

Meanwhile, Jeanette, Simon, Theodore and Eleanor are in the detention room, arguing over who had to go and look for Alvin and Brittany.

'Oh no… if they're kissing or something, and I walk in on them, Alvin's going to kill me, baby brother or not!'

"But you KNOW Brittany has a soft spot for you… remember how you just got her to tone down her dare for Theodore… Brittany NEVER does that…"

'But you SAVED Alvin's LIFE… he wouldn't harm a hair on your head…'

'But this is BRITTANY we're talking about….'

"QUIET!" Jeanette's uncharacteristically loud voice startles everyone into silence. Simon looks admiringly at his girlfriend. So that's how she ran the student government for three years in a row. He's impressed… and also a little scared.

"Alvin and Brittany are our siblings. We know them. What is the one thing they'd never leave the room without?"

Comprehension dawns on Theodore and Eleanor's faces as Simon blushes slightly. He's supposed to be the smart one… and he was arguing with Theodore about who was going to go and get Alvin when the answer was so obvious. He turns to look at his girlfriend again. 'She is nothing short of amazing…' he whispers to himself as he whips out his cell phone and presses '2', listening as a familiar, slightly annoyed voice answers.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Last chap! Dedicated to all the awesome people who have been reviewing each and every chapter… your comments are much MUCH much appreciated

The chipmunks in the detention room are continuing with their "party" while waiting for their older siblings. Without Alvin and Brittany, only Simon is giving semi dangerous dares, so they eventually stop playing and pair off. Theodore and Eleanor are huddled at their desks at the back of the room, poring over a cookbook and holding hands. Simon and Jeanette, on the other hand, are perched on the teacher's desk, talking.

"Did you… really actually like it when I embarrassed you in front of the whole class?" Jeanette is blushing slightly. She knows the answer, but just wants him to say it. Again.

'Yes… for the millionth time..' Simon rolls his eyes and looks at his girlfriend affectionately. He won't admit it, but he finds it adorable when she fishes for compliments. The faint tinge of pink on her cheeks just makes him smile.

"Why?"

'Because… the way your eyes flash when you're taking charge… even when you were trying to get our attention earlier… makes me feel like signing up for student government…'

"I think you could get a position…. Somehow…"

'Of course the fact that I'm dating the council president might have some impact…'

"Simon Seville… are you suggesting you're only dating me for political favors?"

'Jeanette Miller… I do believe you're flirting… is that appropriate presidential behavior?'

Smiling, they lean in, forgetting about Theodore and Eleanor's presence in the room when…

SLAM!

Simon and Jeanette jump apart to see Alvin and Brittany in the room, smirking at them. Brittany's eyes are slightly swollen, but she looks happier than Jeanette has ever seen her. Eleanor, looking up from her book, notices an interesting detail.

'Nice jacket…' she smiles at her sister who blushes slightly.

"She was cold…" Alvin shrugs as his brothers look questioningly at him.

'You do realize you're not getting it back' Brittany responds with a look of wide eyed innocence.

"Maybe I don't want it back…" Alvin flashes his trademark smile, causing her to blush again before pouncing on him.

"Can't… breathe…"

Loosening her hug slightly, Brittany smiles up at the red capped chipmunk, before blinking innocently.

'And the cap too?'

"Nice try"

Brittany continues smiling up at him hopefully until he finally caves. Simon and Theodore watch in shock as he removes his trademark red cap and puts it on her head. Eyeing him for a moment, Brittany takes off the cap again and puts it back on his head, giving him a peck on the cheek as a reward.

'I just wanted to see I meant more to you…' Brittany smiles as Alvin rolls his eyes. He's going to need an instruction manual with this one, but he somehow doesn't mind. It WAS Brittany, after all… He looks at her with a faint smile, slightly dreamy as she giggles with her sisters. The sight of her in his jacket occasionally darting glances at him and casting him secret smiles makes the last few years ALMOST worth it. He turns to his brothers, happy.

'Out of sheer curiosity Alvin… where were you and Brittany when I called? You seemed kind of… annoyed…' Simon loves his brother, but he does relish the rare opportunities he gets to tease him.

"Just like you seemed kind of annoyed when Britt and I came in…"

Blushing, Simon glances at Jeanette before stammering an incoherent response. He may be the 'smart' one, but he's still a little shy… especially when it comes to Jeanette.

"Britt and I were by the football field… talking…"

'Talking… right…'

"Wait a minute… the bleachers…" Jeanette looks worried as she turns towards her sister.

'Yeah… there wasn't anyone there… I mean the school is empty…I mean… we were just talking…'

"The bleachers that are directly under the window of Mr. Talbot's office…"

Brittany looks up in horror as Alvin grins evilly.

"If I'd realized we were putting on a show for Talbot I'd have knocked on his office door and asked for ticket money."

'ALVIN… don't you know how strict he's been lately. We're all here for minor offences!! And we were… talking… on school grounds!' Brittany blushes at her sisters' knowing looks.

"He also gave my brothers time off school to accompany me to for my annual checkup in L.A two weeks ago… and he's letting us rehearse for our big benefit concert in the gym after school… which reminds me… now that we're all FRIENDS again…" Alvin breaks off and surveys the little group with a grin, "you guys want tickets?"

The chipettes look at their shoes, each mumbling something under their breath.

'Er… Jeanette… is everything OK? Do you girls not want to come or something?' Simon is concerned, as his girlfriend looks pretty uncomfortable.

"Don't kill me Britt, but I kind of… alreadygotone…"

'What did you say?' Simon is sure he can't be hearing correctly. Until that morning, Jeanette had been firmly anti-chipmunk, anti-Simon in particular.

'I… already got a ticket… I wanted to see you perform…' Jeanette blushes as Simon looks at her tenderly. How did he get so lucky?

'I actually… have one too…' Eleanor blushes as Theodore puts his arm around her. She leans against his shoulder, smiling up at him.

'I… ok ok… I have one too…' Brittany admits grumpily as Alvin flashes a cocky smile at her. She may be his girlfriend, but that didn't mean he was going to stop teasing her.

"Really… you'd get a ticket to see an ugly mug lowering property values?"

'Of course… it's like watching a freak show… you can't help but be amused…'

"You must have a very twisted mind Britt… seeing that you're dating a freak show performer…"

'Yup… what can I say… I'm such a caring human being, I can't help but feel sorry for mph!'

Alvin leans forward suddenly and kisses his girlfriend full on the mouth, pulling back when their siblings start to applaud. He smiles at her slightly dazed expression, blushing slightly as he explains, "there's only one way to shut you up…"

'I may never talk again…'

They gaze into each others' eyes, unaware of the presence of anyone else in the room, smiling at each other, silent until the sound of the door opening brings them down to earth with a crash.

"Really sir… we are going to have to work on your timing. Maybe I could put a sock or tie on the doorknob, indicating that you shouldn't enter?" Alvin's innocent smile belies the mischievous glint in his eye.

'It is 3 o'clock Mr. Seville. Unless you and Miss Miller would like to be detained for another six hours, I suggest you leave. That goes for all Mr. Sevilles and Miss Millers in the room.' Mr. Talbot gives Alvin his best 'stern principal' expression and watches as the chipmunks and chipettes leave the detention in pairs. Sighing, he makes his way back to his office, where he watches them leave from his window.

He sees Theodore and Eleanor walking off into the distance, hand in hand, presumably towards the nearest ice cream parlour.

He sees Simon carrying Jeanette's books to her car, getting in the front seat as they drive off in the direction of the public library.

He sees Alvin and Brittany arguing over an old letter from Charlene on the floor of his car, before kissing, making up, and driving off into the distance.

With a satisfied smile, he picks up his phone and punches in a number.

"Tell me you have good news…"

'Did you ever doubt it?'

"You mean…"

'Of course, Mr. Seville…I'm pleased to tell you that operation brunch club was a complete success…'


End file.
